On November 18, 2012, Alice Cooper performed at the Emerald Queen Casino in Fife, Washington. I bought tickets for this concert as a gift for my husband because Alice Cooper was popular when he and I were in junior high. I knew he would enjoy hearing Alice's tunes again.
As you may have expected, the casino's auditorium was packed to the doors with stoners, bikers, long-haired hippies and other rejects from the 1970's. I kid you not. Almost everyone in the audience wore black, including me.
The show opened with "Hello Hooray." The band played all of their greatest hits, including "No More Mr. Nice Guy," "Be My Lover," "Welcome to My Nightmare," and "Billion Dollar Babies."
Alice Cooper appeared in a variety of fun costumes, including the red and black striped suit and top hat made him famous. Later, he wiggled his way out of a straight jacket. During the performance of "Feed My Frankenstein," Alice transformed himself into a monster. When the smoke dissipated, he turned back into himself again.
Alice was accompanied by a young female guitarist named Orianthi, who is as beautiful as she is talented. When I said that Orianthi's long, blond hair reminded me of our daughter, my husband turned to me and said, "Are you sure she's a girl?" Since it was an Alice Cooper concert, I thought his question was a fair one.
My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the band's tribute to four artists of the 1960's who helped make rock n roll what it is today. In memory of Jim Morrison, they played the Doors' hit, "L.A. Woman." They honored the late John Lennon by playing the Beatles' song, "Revolution." In memory of Jimmy Hendrix, they played "Foxy Lady." To honor Keith Moon, they played the Who's hit, "My Generation."
For the show's finale, the band played the songs I had been waiting to hear all night -- "I'm Eighteen" and "School's Out." "I'm Eighteen" is a great song about a young man's coming of age. "School's Out" brought back memories of how happy and excited we felt when the bell rang on the last day of school. The confetti and beach balls bouncing over the audience reminded me of summer vacation. What can I say? There is nothing quite like an Alice Cooper concert to make a woman feel like a teenager again.
Monday, November 19, 2012
A Dark Journey with Madonna
Since my last post, I've attended three fantastic concerts. Each was very different from the others -- a different type of music, a different type of show, a different type of audience. Yet each and every one of them was very good.
On October 2 and 3, 2012, legendary pop diva Madonna brought her own brand of magic to the Key Arena. Since the Key Arena is located in Seattle and Madonna is gay-friendly, I was not surprised that most of her audience was gay. But gay people are fun to party with.
The Material Girl does not put on an ordinary rock concert -- she puts on a spectacle. In addition to her party music, Madonna's MDNA concert featured hip hop dancers and acrobats on tight ropes, fabulous costumes, sensational video effects and a video clip of Nicki Minaj.
Her October 3 performance started two hours late. We assumed that the concert started late because Madonna wanted to watch the presidential debate. She is, after all, a devout supporter of President Obama and the Democratic Party. While we were waiting for her show to begin, DJ Martin Solveig and Madonna's youngest son, David, warmed up the audience with techno remixing.
The concert opened with "Like a Prayer" and featured male hip hop and acro dancers dressed as monks and gargoyles ringing a lighted bell. The scene brought the Hunchback of Notre Dame to mind. Then the Material Girl made her grand entrance. This number was campy and fun.
Another notable number, "Gang Bang," was set in a seedy hotel room. Madonna sang, "Bang bang! I shot you dead Bang bang! Shot my lover in the head" while she took aim at a male dancer. The song's lyrics were catchy, but this part of the show was rather dark. She and her troupe of dancers waved guns as they danced around the stage. Blood splatter was one of the video effects. This number culminates with her being sent to hell. It's easy to understand why some people were offended by the violence and guns in the show so soon after the Colorado massacre.
My favorite part of her MDNA show was her performance of "Express Yourself." Madonna dressed up in a red and white drum majorette's costume with a baton. The dancers also dressed up as members of a high school marching band. Her show needed something like and uplifting after her performance of "Gang Bang."
Toward the end of her show, Madonna showed her audience that she had "Obama" written or tattooed in black ink on her back. I know that she is outspoken and politically active. I voted for Obama myself. When I go to a concert, I go to listen to music. I don't want to read an entertainer's political views.
I've always like Madonna. She and I are the same age. We also have children who are the same age. My seat was so close to the stage that I got a good look at the pop star. Madonna is still as beautiful (and as thin) as she was in the late 80's. Her figure is so beautiful that my first impression was "That woman looks like she doesn't eat."
On October 2 and 3, 2012, legendary pop diva Madonna brought her own brand of magic to the Key Arena. Since the Key Arena is located in Seattle and Madonna is gay-friendly, I was not surprised that most of her audience was gay. But gay people are fun to party with.
The Material Girl does not put on an ordinary rock concert -- she puts on a spectacle. In addition to her party music, Madonna's MDNA concert featured hip hop dancers and acrobats on tight ropes, fabulous costumes, sensational video effects and a video clip of Nicki Minaj.
Her October 3 performance started two hours late. We assumed that the concert started late because Madonna wanted to watch the presidential debate. She is, after all, a devout supporter of President Obama and the Democratic Party. While we were waiting for her show to begin, DJ Martin Solveig and Madonna's youngest son, David, warmed up the audience with techno remixing.
The concert opened with "Like a Prayer" and featured male hip hop and acro dancers dressed as monks and gargoyles ringing a lighted bell. The scene brought the Hunchback of Notre Dame to mind. Then the Material Girl made her grand entrance. This number was campy and fun.
Another notable number, "Gang Bang," was set in a seedy hotel room. Madonna sang, "Bang bang! I shot you dead Bang bang! Shot my lover in the head" while she took aim at a male dancer. The song's lyrics were catchy, but this part of the show was rather dark. She and her troupe of dancers waved guns as they danced around the stage. Blood splatter was one of the video effects. This number culminates with her being sent to hell. It's easy to understand why some people were offended by the violence and guns in the show so soon after the Colorado massacre.
My favorite part of her MDNA show was her performance of "Express Yourself." Madonna dressed up in a red and white drum majorette's costume with a baton. The dancers also dressed up as members of a high school marching band. Her show needed something like and uplifting after her performance of "Gang Bang."
Toward the end of her show, Madonna showed her audience that she had "Obama" written or tattooed in black ink on her back. I know that she is outspoken and politically active. I voted for Obama myself. When I go to a concert, I go to listen to music. I don't want to read an entertainer's political views.
I've always like Madonna. She and I are the same age. We also have children who are the same age. My seat was so close to the stage that I got a good look at the pop star. Madonna is still as beautiful (and as thin) as she was in the late 80's. Her figure is so beautiful that my first impression was "That woman looks like she doesn't eat."
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